Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-02-14
A NEW AMERICAN INDUSTRY.
Making Wine From Oranges-Ctiliz-
ing CaiiIorDia's Surplus Crop.

Making Wine From Oranges-Ctiliz-
ing CaiiIornia's Surplus Crop.
From TIE HeaO York Mail.
! The wonderful crop Of oranges which
has been produced in California has led
! TO the manufacture of new and nom
alcoholic wine from that fruit. A gen.
| tleman who has travelled extensively in
California, in conversation with a re-
porter, thus graphically described
the process: SIN San Gabriel,
Los Angeles county, CAL. where the
sweet navel or seedless orange grows to
great perfection and in large quantities,
the Mexican residents made from
II wine not unlike the May wine of the
Germans. This wine, OF course, had to be
consumed at once, or 1t would spoil. But
the idea was suggested by this practice
that good wine could be made from sweet
oranges, and the question was how to
make the wine SO that it could become q
marketable and profitable commodity.
AS soon as the souring was overcome,
more money had TO be invested. This
was accomplished after considerable
money had been lost. The sweetest
oranges are selected, those of the navel
or seedless kind; but not until they are
tully ripe. Oranges when shipped TO
market for eating are generally packed
green, and ripen on the way. Not
so with those used for wine. When
gathered, machine removes the peel
leaving only the juicy pulp. The pulp Is
placed IN large vat, with layers of the
Angelica grape sugar. The pulp and
sugar are allowed to remain together
about three weeks, when, by the aid OF
/ Jack-screw press worked by machinery,
the whole of the Juice is squeezed out.
Ehls Is run off into casks and purified
every month for about two or three years.
1t Is kept from souring by the addition of
distilled glycerine preservatIves, and at
the end of that time is considered fit for
| general use. 1t is then drawn off into
casks OF commercial capacity, and Is
ready tor Shipment.
"As transportation, especially to dis
| lance, would cause the wine to muddle,
| 1t Is again refined at the end of the Jour-
| ney and the dregs precipitated before it is
| put into bottles, in which condition it is
sold TO the public. The wine has already
been exported to England and many parts
| OF Europe"
us not the wine fermented In some
| wayr'
"Not at all. 1t is purely the juice Of
the orange, simple fruit wine, and con-
! talns no alcoholic spirits whatever.
| People eat oranges after meals as diges-
| tive; now they can partake of the pure
| juice alone for the same reason. | think
1t will soon outrival any of the mild
drinks of the present day."
''Then it is simply still wine without
any intoxicating quslities?"
es, in its original form. But 1t can
! be made into sparkling wine by the in
| PRODUCTION of carbonic gas. By diluting
the orange juice One-half, and adding the
gas, beverage equal to champagne can
be produced. without any Of its intoXica-
ting or enervatIng effects. This has been
| done, and temperance drinkers have been
delighted with it. AS summer drink it
is far better, according to medical men,
than lime or lemon juice. as it does not
leave such bad results as sometimes fol-
low the drinking of Lemonade"
sis it expensive to the consumer"
''If 1t were not for the time required to
bring it to perfection. IL would be very
cheap. In this city and IN Europe the
cost of transportation has to be added,
yet with this it could be sold by retail
with profit at, say, about 81 per case for
twelve quart bottles, or So per case for
twenty-tour pint bottles. Singley, sup
pose it would depend upon the profit de-
sired by the retailer. In California it is
very cheap and Is now being extensively
used, even where fermented wines are to
be had at a low price.